Musée Opale Sud

About the museum

The museum in Berck-sur-Mer was founded in March 1979 in the town’s former gendarmerie. In 2002 a new building was added at the rear, on the rue de l’Impératrice side, allowing the collections to be displayed on two levels. It holds the Musée de France label and is about 300 metres from the beach.

The fine arts section focuses on the Berck school, a group of painters formed around Ludovic-Napoléon Lepic in 1877. These artists depicted the lives of fishermen, the beach and the sea, among them Francis Tattegrain, Eugène Trigoulet and Charles Roussel. The museum also traces how Berck changed from a fishing port where boats were beached into a seaside and health resort at the end of the 19th century.

The archaeology section mainly presents regional finds: Celtic and Merovingian grave goods, offerings from the Dompierre-sur-Authie sanctuary, a statuette of the god Sucellus and objects from the underwater excavations at Grigny. The Bellon collection, a set of antiquities assembled in the 19th century by Louis-Gabriel Bellon, complements this section.

The displays of the permanent collections change regularly. Each year the museum offers temporary exhibitions and a cultural programme of tours, workshops, lectures and performances.

Highlights

• Berck school: paintings by Lepic, Tattegrain, Trigoulet and Roussel
• Views of Berck’s beach and fishermen at the end of the 19th century
• Statuette of the god Sucellus and Celtic grave goods
• Merovingian objects: weapons, jewellery and bead necklaces
• Bellon collection of classical antiquities
• Objects from the underwater excavations at Grigny, including a 15th-century chalice

Permanent exhibitions

• L'école de Berck – Paintings by the group of artists gathered at Berck from 1877 around Ludovic-Napoléon Lepic, with works by Tattegrain, Trigoulet and Roussel.
• La collection archéologique – Forty-one display cases devoted to regional finds from the Celtic period to the Middle Ages, including the Sucellus statuette and Merovingian grave goods.
• La collection Bellon – Classical antiquities and funerary objects assembled by Louis-Gabriel Bellon in the 19th century, some of which entered the museum’s collections.

Founded

1979

Operated by

Ville de Berck-sur-Mer

Visitors per year

approx. 4,842

Admission & discounts

Free admission: First Sunday of every month

The ticket gives access to the permanent collections and temporary exhibitions. A free pass issued at purchase gives a reduced rate at other museums in the region. The museum is linked with the citadel of Montreuil-sur-Mer for a combined ticket.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The museum presents itself as accessible to all visitors on both of its levels.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

Year-round activities for families and children: the booklet “Les 10 droits du petit visiteur”, the puzzle and detective game “Mystère au Musée”, MÔM’Art workshops, small craft activities and colouring sheets to download.

Getting there & parking

Access via the A16 motorway and the D939 departmental road. Le Touquet airport is 15 km away. The museum is about 300 m from the beach.

Amenities & dining

• Lockers

Free lockers at reception; luggage larger than 55 x 35 x 20 cm is not accepted in the museum.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit